Place of Dreams: A Loki-OC Tale
by the shaper of worlds
Summary: A romance of many dimensions. Loki never thought much of humanity, until his quest to retrieve a powerful stone tangled him in the web of an intriguingly mystical woman. Loki knows he must play along to get what he desires... But does he desire this stone that can unlock unlimited potential or the woman with metaphysical knowledge? Begins pre-Thor (film).
1. Prologue: The Stone

It began with a flash.

A purplish light streaked across the sky. It passed over the badlands without so much as a second glance.

It hit the planet with force, sending a shockwave through time and space, alerting all those in tune with the energy of its arrival. Somewhere, halfway across the world, a Tibetan monk looked to the ground in prayer. In the jungles of South America, a shaman closed his eyes and took a deep breath, channeling his energy into the ley lines of the Earth. A particularly sensitive woman, sitting outside of a cafe in Nice, France, put down her book for a moment, wondering what that odd sensation in her feet had been.

Many felt, but only one was called.

And so, it waited.

The earth continued to spin upon its axis, cycling through nights and days in turn... until one night.

The darkness drank the faint violet glow of the stone. There it sat, in the rocky wasteland of Big Sky Country, alone but for a single cloaked figure in its presence. It was no bigger than the palm of a hand, yet its aura extended a foot in every direction. Iridescent, shades of gold, green, and purple danced across its face. One could almost catch a glimpse of higher dimensions when gazing into its depths.

Yards away, seated in the sand, the figure shrouded in a dark purple cloak was still as a statue. Earth beneath, countless stars and the ribbon of the milky way above, alone in the desert- alone, yes, but not quite. There was another, not of this world, looking in. The cloaked figure could sense it.

_This is why I was summoned._


	2. Chapter I: Loki

He had been watching for days. Eventually, he realized, the other was not leaving any time soon. Unlike his brother, he was patient, but even he knew when action was necessary. So, he decided, it must be done. And he projected himself on the lower realm of Midgard.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you.

The soft voice resonated through the darkness. He paused, hand extended towards the stone and shifted his eyes to the cloaked form. Usually, humans would not have seen him in this state.

"You see me," he intoned. A statement more than a question.

The figure stood. "Yes, and I felt you before. For days." She lowered her hood. Her eyes.. her eyes were full of intensity, so deep and blue-green. Skin smooth and light in the night, dark chestnut wavy hair, long enough some was still concealed in her cloak.

He knitted together his brows. "How?" he asked.

A small smile played at her lips. "Humans have more eyes than two."

He scoffed and reached once more for the stone. Once it was in his possession, he could be gone of this wretched place and woman. As his fingers grazed its surface, a spark of electricity raced up his fingers, through his arm, and straight into his core, forcing him to fall onto his back and leaving him breathless.

The woman gingerly stepped over him. "I warned you," was all she said as she picked up the stone.

Loki pushed up, awed by how much the stone's aura had increased when she touched it. It's field extended at least 5 yards, purples and golds and greens swirling about, with a blinding white light where the stone had once been. He lifted his arm to shield his eyes. He saw the light fade and watched the woman wrap the stone in cloth and tuck it into her cloak.

_What magic is this? _How could a mere mortal touch a stone that had electrified him? Inside, he was seething, but he had learned to keep his exterior collected. He watched her with cool, inquisitive eyes. She moved towards him and extended her hand to help him rise. He made no movement himself, watching, skeptical.

She barely moved her head, adjusting her gaze into his own eyes. She was reading him, looking into the depths of his very soul. He felt exposed, but would not look away. She would not win.

She spoke. "You have questions. As do I. I will answer, if you will answer. Truthfully." With her hand still in place, her gaze lingered, before shifting up to the strand of stars over their heads. She looked with a longing he knew all too well.

He too looked up into the night sky. The view vaguely reminded him of Asgard. Looming over this waste of rocks and sand.. it was beautiful. His arms and legs began to tingle, and he became aware of the energy coursing through his body, the earth, and the stars above. And he glanced back at this woman, radiating light.

He must stop. All that mattered was doing whatever necessary to get that stone. He could talk his way into or out of any situation, yet this seemed like it was going to take longer than he had originally expected. He shifted his expression, and spoke, pulling her back into this world.

"Forgive me. I'm not used to meeting humans such as yourself," his soft voice drew her eyes back to his own. He reached up and took her hand. As he touched her, he felt another spark, much less violent than the last, that raced from his ring finger to his heart. She helped pull him to his feet with little effort, despite her being a full foot shorter.

Smiling, he looked down at her. Answers for answers, was it? He could play this game. Although he doubted she had much of the information he sought. She might be familiar with some magic, but she was still a mortal. She closed her eyes; she'd left again. He thought it rude. He was about to speak when he was ripped from the Earth back to his original plane with a light tap upon his shoulder.

His eyes shot open. Without even looking, he knew. It was her.

_How did she find me?_

"How?" he asked.

"You need to conceal yourself better. I followed your cord," she replied.

His face did not betray him. He had to play her games to get her to play along with his. "What string is this?" he asked, feigning sincerity. He was wroth. In truth, he was interested. It was not often he got one-upped.. by a woman.. by a human.

She looked at him, quizzical. "Do you not see?" She looked down at her stomach for a second, then back into his own eyes.

Loki shook his head a fraction of an inch.

The woman nodded. "You must raise your frequency.. increase your vibration. Like you do when you project.. but go higher."

He went higher, his entire body buzzing with the new energy.. and then he saw it. A thin, almost invisible golden strand, extending from her navel, weaving through space and time, and if he followed it far enough, he knew he'd find her physical body back on Earth.

He then noticed the pulsing energy in her cloak. The phantom of the stone she carried. Whoever possessed it could tap into the infinite energy of the cosmos, not just projecting, but fully traveling between worlds without even using the Bifrost. With this, he could go wherever he pleased without the ever-watching Heimdall to see.

The woman grinned, pulling Loki from his thoughts.

"I believe you owe me three answers."

_So it is this game we must play..._


End file.
